TAMPA, Florida (AP):
MOST OF Florida's west coast was under a hurricane watch yesterday as Tropical Storm Alberto spun over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening to bring heavy rain in the next few days.
By midday, the first named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season had maximum sustained wind near 45mph (72kph), up 10mph (16kph) from early in the morning, but it was not likely to grow into a hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said.
"We do not have any significant changes," said Lixion Avila, a senior hurricane specialist. "The system remains poorly organised."
Alberto is a lopsided tropical storm with the most intense wind and rains massed on the eastern edge of the system, Avila said. The first of the storm's rains swept across the Florida peninsula yesterday with no major reports of damage.
FLASH FLOOD THREATS
Forecasters said that 30 inches (76cm) of rain could fall over the western half of Cuba, creating a threat of flash floods and mudslides, and that eight inches (20cm) could fall over the Florida Keys and the state's Gulf Coast.
The prospect of a wet storm without hurricane-force wind was welcomed by firefighters who have been battling wildfires for six weeks on Florida's east coast.
"A good soaking rain would do a lot to help stop the fires in our area," said Pat Kuehn, a spokeswoman for Volusia County Fire Services. "It has been a hard fire season. We've had several fires a week here."
Residents of the state's Gulf Coast were watching the storm. Patricia Haberland, whose back porch was flooded by 12 inches (30cm) of rain in March, said she put a few valuables in plastic bins this weekend just to be on the safe side.
"Other than that, we're carrying on as usual, going to work, going to church," said Haberland, 52. "It doesn't look like it's going to have a major impact on our area."
The storm was not expected to cross the Keys, but some tourists were not taking any chances on the low-lying islands.
"I had a bunch of people check out this morning," said Nikki LaMarca, front desk manager at Courtney's Place in Key West. "It's amazing. People are actually leaving."
